Syria: Regime shelling kills 6 civilians in E. Ghouta

By Halit Suleyman

DAMASCUS (AA) – At least six civilians were killed and seven others injured in Syrian regime attacks in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, a pro-opposition civil defense official said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mahmud Adham said regime forces shelled the town of Hamouriyah in East Ghouta, killing five people.

He said a child was also killed in another shelling in the Saqba town in the area.

For his part, Yusuf al-Bustani, a member of Local Coordination Comities (LCC) in Eastern Ghouta, said the regime attacks targeted the towns of Sabqa, Hamouriyah and Kafra Batna in Eastern Ghouta.

“Regime forces attempted to sneak into Ain Tarma and Jobar suburbs in Damascus but opposition group repelled the attempts,” al-Bustani said.

- Starvation, regime’s weapon

Al-Bustan warned that a humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding in the regime-blockaded Eastern Ghouta.

“The regime uses starvation as a weapon against civilians as it had done in al-Yarmouk refugee camp, Madaya and al-Zabadani,” he said.

Blockaded by the Assad regime since 2012, Eastern Ghouta region is home to around 400,000 civilians.

Eastern Ghouta falls within "de-escalation zones" identified by Turkey, Russia and Iran as a part of peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital Astana in May.

On July 22, Russia announced cease-fire in the Eastern Ghouta, however, the regime’s attacks have been underway without hiatus.